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Baku: Armenia Will Remain A Close Ally Of Russia - Dennis Sammut

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  • Baku: Armenia Will Remain A Close Ally Of Russia - Dennis Sammut

    ARMENIA WILL REMAIN A CLOSE ALLY OF RUSSIA - DENNIS SAMMUT

    http://www.news.az/articles/politics/77680
    Sat 09 March 2013 07:14 GMT | 7:14 Local Time

    News.Az reprints from 1news.az interview with Dennis Sammut ,executive
    director of British organization LINKS.

    Can we expect any significant changes in the foreign policy of Armenia
    after the presidential elections in Armenia?

    We can expect continuity in the main thrust of Armenian foreign policy
    but with some nuanced changes.

    Armenia will remain a close ally of Russia and will push for an
    increase in the role of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation
    (CSTO). In the economic sphere, however, Armenia will develop its
    relations with the European Union. It is likely that Armenia will
    sign an Association Agreement with the EU in November of this year.

    The big question is Armenia's relations with Turkey. How to manage
    this is Sargsyan's biggest challenge. I do not speak about relations
    with Azerbaijan because this is for Armenia a much bigger issue than
    just foreign policy.

    One of the main postulates in the election campaign of incumbent
    president of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan became the promise to launch the
    airport built in occupied Nagorno-Karabakh soon. How may this step
    (if it would be taken) affect the situation in the region?

    We have been told that the airport has been ready for nearly one year.

    The Armenian leadership does not want to be seen provoking a crisis so
    they are waiting for the right political moment to do so. I am myself
    in favour of opening the airport, but under some conditions, for
    example international supervision and solely for civilian use. There
    is no doubt that if the Armenian leadership acts unilaterally on the
    issue of the airport, this will escalate an already tense situation.

    It should therefore be avoided.

    It seems that the South Caucasus with domestic problems is not in
    the priority lists of American foreign policy. Moreover there is
    an opinion that after withdrawal of NATO's troops from Afghanistan,
    American interests in the South Caucasus will decrease.

    The United States is a superpower. It can handle multiple problems,
    so domestic considerations do not affect foreign policy in general,
    and certainly not the issues related with the South Caucasus. But a
    situation is emerging whereby the EU is now playing a much more active
    role in the region. This should not be a surprise. The South Caucasus
    is part of the EU neighbourhood, and also there are many issues that
    connect the EU with the region. As for Afghanistan, the role of the
    region in Afghanistan is only a small part of a much bigger agenda
    between the countries of the region and the US, as well as the EU.

    What will be with settlement of Karabakh conflict this year?

    I think the fact that the Karabakh peace process is stalled makes the
    situation very dangerous. As a minimum we should see the restart of
    proper negotiations. If not the likelihood of a sharp escalation in
    violence is not only possible but likely. I do not necessarily mean
    an all out war. Between war and peace there is a big space in which
    many different things can happen.

    What events should be expected in the South Caucasus this year?

    Making predictions in the region is never a good idea, because the
    South Caucasus is always full of surprises. However one thing is
    certain the region is changing in multiple ways. Some of these changes
    are planned, others are more spontaneous. But I am more optimistic on
    the region this year than I was last year, or perhaps I should say,
    more cautiously optimistic.

    News.Az

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